Starch has shrunk my pre- cuts?
01-20-2019, 02:40 PM
#21
Power Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 11,903
Originally Posted by tallchick
I have had that happen as well and this is why the only precuts I buy now are fat quarter bundles, since I’m a starcher and presser before I start any project, it was a expensive lesson learned, I feel your pain!
01-21-2019, 07:32 AM
#22
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Central Ia
Posts: 1,110
I have just finished a top made from a layer cake, it was a miserable experience. I will never buy another pre-cut smaller than a Fat qtr. Wonky edges, pinked edges, wonky shrinkage. Never, never, never again.
01-21-2019, 08:10 AM
#23
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Canada
Posts: 3,456
I buy and starch pre-cuts (except for the tiny ones).
Shrinkage is not a problem. If it's a layer cake I just plan for a 9.5" square.
If it's a charm pack, I plan for 4.5" square. I usually cut them into smaller
pieces anyway. When you buy a FQ or yardage, you still have to trim.
So, what's different with pre-cuts?
Shrinkage is not a problem. If it's a layer cake I just plan for a 9.5" square.
If it's a charm pack, I plan for 4.5" square. I usually cut them into smaller
pieces anyway. When you buy a FQ or yardage, you still have to trim.
So, what's different with pre-cuts?
01-21-2019, 10:48 AM
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 580
I try to press my fabric before it is cut. I once cut some squares to make half square triangles. I decided to starch the heck out of them because the method I was using had me working with bias edges. Big mistake as I shrunk my squares (and couldn't use them for this project). So now I do any pressing/starching before any cutting. After that, no steam, no starch, light pressing of seams only.
01-21-2019, 11:01 AM
#25
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,867
My layer cake was perfectly cut, it just shrunk in one direction. It won't stop me from buying precuts if they are on sale low enough, but I will continue to wash them. I had the experience of one fabric shrinking as I pressed a stack of finished blocks which made me a dedicated prewasher. I always prewashed for many reasons, but now I am much more careful to not let anything get by me. I like my finished quilt smoother than some people do so it matters to me.
01-21-2019, 04:10 PM
#26
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Philomath, Oregon
Posts: 2,076
Thank you!
Originally Posted by Peckish
No, it is a starch. Calling it a "starch alternative" doesn't mean it's not starch, it means it's an alternative to the traditional starches such as Sta-Flo and Niagra. It is simply a marketing ploy. They do clarify it so it's clear, add surfactants that help it sink into the fabric clearer, and make it smell pretty. The bottle that I have states very clearly it is starch, and if you do a Google search for Best Press MSDS, you will see that it is listed as a starch.
MSDS = Material Safety Data Sheet. Required of manufacturers by the federal government for any solution, solvent, etc.
MSDS = Material Safety Data Sheet. Required of manufacturers by the federal government for any solution, solvent, etc.
01-28-2019, 05:43 AM
#27
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Florida
Posts: 1,811
Measure all your squares before you cut or starch. They may not be equal to start. The manufacturer told me they are meant to be trimmed down when I complained. Mine measured anywhere from 9.7/8 to 10.1/4. I did not realize the differences until I cut and snowballed the corners and nothing was matching. I measured the squares I had left and many were not 10". If you are soaking the pieces with best press, they also could be shriking.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
woohoowendy
Main
12
04-02-2011 02:02 AM
